Tire



Dec. 25, 1945. B. B. LEVY 4 2,391,579

TIRE

Filed oct. 29,1942

Patented Dec. 25, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIRE Barney B. Levy, Middleboro, Mass. Application october 29, 1942, serial No. 463,729'

Z Claims.

My invention relates to tires for vehicle wheels and has for an object the provision of a tire which can replace a pneumatic tire and yet provide ample resiliency which is substantially uniform at all times as the wheel rotates. While my invention is directed specifically to resilient tires for vehicles, the means employed for obtaining resiliency in the body of the tire is applicable broadly to other articles, such as bed springs or resilient supports on which machinery may be mounted to reduce vibration.

I am aware that various types of resilient wheels have been proposed with the view of dispensing with pneumatic tires. These resilient wheels were designed to replace the entire vehicle wheel upon which a pneumatic tire is mounted. My invention differs from such proposals by the provision of a resilient tire which can be mounted upon a vehicle wheel in place of a pneumatic tire and without change in the construction of the vehicle wheel. Thus, the resilient tire of the invention has substantially the same dimensions as the pneumatic tire which it is designed to replace and may be detachably mounted upon the same vehicle wheel. I

These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly broken away, of a vehicle tire embodying the invention mounted upon a vehicle wheel;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken upon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary view of a portion of the tire;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a resilient body embodying the invention.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a vehicle tire I0 embodying the invention is shown mounted upon the periphery of a vehicle wheel II The tire I0 comprises an inner ring-like support I2 adapted to t upon the vperiphery of the wheel II. The support I2 may be made of any suitable material, such as wood or steel. A plurality of spaced concentric radially resilient means a, b, c and d are mounted concentric with and in spaced relation to the support I2. As shown in Fig. 2 the radially resilient means a, b and c each comprises a plurality of axially aligned rings of the same diameter made either of wood or steel. Thus, the resilient means a comprises a plurality of rings I5, the means b comprises a plurality of rings I6 and the means c comprises a plurality of rings I1. The means d comprises a single ring I8.

A series of spaced blocks 20 are interposed between the support I2 and the rings I5. Another series of spaced blocks 2I are interposed between the rings I5 and rings I6. And likewise a series of spaced blocks 22 and 23 are interposed between the rings I 6 and I1 and the ring I1 and ring I8, respectively. The blocks 20, 2|, 22 and 23 serve to hold the resilient means a, b, c and d in spaced relation from one another and from the support I2. These blocks may be of any suitable material, such as woodY or rubber, and each adjacent series thereof are positioned in radially staggered relation so as to obtain substantially uniform radial resiliency around the tire. Thus, each adjacent series of spaced blocks engage circumferentially spaced portions of the radially resilient means positioned therebetween, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Each of the blocks 20, 2I, 22 and 23 are secured to the adjacent resilient means which they engage so as to prevent circumferential or transverse displacement. As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a clamp 25 is employed for this purpose. Each of the clamps 25 comprises a pair of U- shaped members 26 and 21. The parallel arms I9 of the member 21 are provided with apertures 28 adapted to receive the hook-shaped end portion 29 of the parallel arms 24 of the member 26. The clamping members 26 and 21 engage the remote surfaces of the adjacent radially resilient means and the parallel arms I9 and 24 thereof extend into the radial slot s in the edges of the blocks.

'I'he outermost resilient means d is provided with an outer wear resisting tread 30. This tread, preferably, is formed' by winding rubber impregnated cord circumferentially of the tire, in much the same manner as a bobbin is wound, and then vulcanizing to provide an integral tread surface. The side walls of the tire may be enclosed by annular members 3'I and 32 which are secured at their inner edges to the support I2 by bolts 33 and are suitably secured at their outer edges to the resilient member d as indicated at 34. The members 3| and 32 may be of any suitable material, such as fabric or other resilient material.

The tire I0 is detachably secured upon the vehicle wheel I I. For this purpose a special clamping structure is provided. Thus, a plurality of circumferentially spaced bars 35 are secured in grooves 35 in the inner surface of the support I2 by rivets 31.. One end of each bar 35 is provided with a xed clamping member 38 adapted to engage one face of the Wheel II. The other end of each bar 35 is provided with a threaded portion 40 adapted to receive an apertured clamping lug 4| which is adapted to engage the opposite face of the wheel Il and be secured thereagainst by a nut 42 threaded on the portion 40.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 4 the radially resilient means a', b', c' and d', which correspond to the resilient means a, b, c` and d, respectivelm. or the construction illustrate@ in Figs. 1 and"2, each comprises a single ri'ng`. lThese rings are separated from one another and from the support I2' by blocks 20', 2l', 22' and 23'in the same manner as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These spacing blocks, however, are secured to the adjacent rings' and tothe support l2 by rivets 50 instead of the clamping. members 25 used for this purpose in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Otherwise', t'he con-- struction shownin Fig. 4 isidentical4 to that1 shown Fig-s. 1 Yand 2. g

In Fig. 5 there is illustrated aresilient body construction-embodying. the invention and which may be used as a bed spring construction.. This -resilientbody comprises a plurality of-.spring steel strips 55,v 56,. 51 and 58 arranged in spacedtsuperimposed relation.- A seriesof spaced blocks 60 are positioned between the strips 455 and 56 and likewise a series Aof spaced blocks 6l and `a. series oi spaced blocks 62 are .positioned between the stri-ps 56 and 51'and between the strips 451 and58 respectively. Each- Yadjacent series of. spaced blocks' engage spaced portions of strip positioned therebetweenl I claim:

1. A `resilientttire adapted to be mounted as va unitary structure uponr the wheel of a Vehiclecomprising a ring-like support adapted to fitupon a wheel of a Vehicle, spaced concentric radially resilient means positioned concentric with said support, a sexies of spaced blocks between radially resilient means, a series of spaced blocks between the adjacent radially resilient means and between the innermost resilient means and said support to maintain said means spaced from one another and from said support, each adjacent series of blocks engaging circumferentially spaced portions of the radially resilient means positioned 'herebetween 'to obtal'irt asubstantially uniform rad'al resiliency' throughout the tire, 'a' wear resisting tread carried by the outermost resilient means, and means for detachably securing the resilient tire to said wheel, each of said resilient means between said support and the outermost resilient mea-ns including a plurality of radially resilient Aaxially aligned rings of equal diameter.

2. A resilient tire adapted to be mounted as a unitary structure upon the wheel of a vehicle comprising aring-like support adapted to fitupon the wheel of a vehicle spaced concentric radiallyresilient means positione'dlconcentric with said support, a series of spaced blocks between thel adjace'nt radially resilient means 'and' between the innermost resilient means and said? support to maintain said resilient means spacedlv from one another and from said support,y each adjacent series of blocks engaging circumferentially spaced portions of the resilient means positioned therebetween to obtain a substantially Vuniform radial resiliency throughout the tire, a wear resistant tread carried by the outermost resilient means, means for detachably securing the resilient tire to said wheel, and means -for securing each. of said blocks to the adjacent resilient means engaged thereby including a pair of cooperating U-shaped clamp members adapted to be hooked in clampingrelation..

VBARNES? B. LEVY. 

